half day kindergarten?

[eddie]

Did the school board vote on this last night?  The district hasn't posted the minutes, and I can't find any news stories about it.  Thanks.

[the.pixie.stick.chick]

Our school sent home a note a couple weeks back saying there would NOT be half day kinder.
Of course, it certainly might have changed.

[eddie]

I called the district office, the board tabled the issue last night so no decision yet.

They are having a town hall meeting on Saturday at 11 to discuss student retention.

[Marty]

There will be a tuition based model offered for full day kinder.  No final decisions have been made but there should be a tuition option for the folks that want full day kinder.

[eddie]

I believe if musd wants to stay competitive, they need to keep full day free kindergarten.  They are holding a town hall about student retention and recruitment...if they don't offer the same amenities that kyrene and pathway offer, they won't need to worry about retention.  They won't have any new students to retain.

[Marty]

I agree Eddie.  The sad reality is the state is forcing another $900,000 in budget cuts.  Something is going to give.

[mallardisme]

The other sad reality is that each child that enters into another school district drops federal and state funds.

This is a really hard place to be. Marty is pretty intimate with the budget and the costs of our school district.

No matter how you add it up, it is pretty dismal and things will need to be cut in order to pay for what we want and for what is federally mandated.

I am hoping to hit the Saturday town hall meeting. Ironically, I will also be at the Excellence in Education benefit the same day.

[Marty]

I have shared a unique idea with Board Member Vargas and Superintendent Kleck.  The problem, as I see it, is that there are some other factors at play with various curriculum staff that can't see the forest through the trees.  

Case in point, one of the speakers the other night failed to mention that tuition full day was an option to the board when she had been briefed on it earlier.  The excuse, internally, is that tuition based full day kinder creates a gap between the haves and have not's. 

To me that is complete bull poop.  

This same person also said they have talked to parents and I know of 10 parents who have never been approached.  Is she lying to cover her ass?  Yes, that's my opinion.  No official survey's have been sent out and asking people to come to a town hall with limited marketing isn't the solution.  The turnout might suck and might not be an accurate portrayal of the community's feeling.

Education is about pushing kids to their maximum learning potential not holding the heard back in totality because some can't afford tuition.  Parents, not curriculum personnel, should have the say in this.  Let the free market bear the results.  Schools offer accelerated classes with college credit for smart kids, normal classes for normal kids and remedial classes for kids who need extra help in mastering skills.   So offering only half day kinder because of the "opinion" that some cant afford it seems to be a contradiction.

The State of Arizona is so jacked up with education funding and placing a value on education that serious overhaul and reform is needed.  Problem is, education isn't sexy for politicians (or profitable) when it should be.  

At the end of the day I won't let my son be a part of an experimental approach with half day kinder.  I grew up with half day kinder and turned out fine, but like any parent, I want better for my child.  And it starts now.  He graduates from preschool on Wednesday and his education cycle will start in earnest.  

Bash me all you want but I place a high value on education.  If MUSD can't deliver with a logical format and program, then my kid will go elsewhere where they can deliver.  I'll make sacrifices for his betterment.  And with my daughter starting preschool, we'll face similar decisions.  And to be fair, there are some great teachers in MUSD that are underpaid, underfunded for classroom development, under appreciated who have to make some tough decisions in the future.

[Desert Dweller]

Is all day Kindergarten an education issue or is it actually government sponsored babysitting?

I question whether 5 year old children can really benefit from a full day of instruction.  Even if they can, do we have a course of instruction that's beneficial or, again, is it keeping the children occupied with the same type of educational entertainment that could be accomplished at home?

If there need to be cuts anywhere in the school budget, it would seem that this would be the best place to start.

[Marty]

There are tremendous benefits from all day kinder and the impact has been proven more fruitful downstream in later years.  However I am too tired to post data right now . I will post info over the weekend.

What's the difference in all day babysitting between kindergarten and first grade or any grade for that matter???

[mallardisme]

Over and over and over..

All studies, I have seen, show that education young, often and consistant show that kids starting young do better in life.

Arizona does short change our kids, IMHO.

When do we stop playing budget wars and turn around to teach the kids, regardless of gas prices?

(Lord knows where we get that money from, but we really need to find priorities)

Kids need education from a young age, and need that through thier lives. We are not providing that here.

Go ahead and say what you will, but that is our deficiency. We might not be able to fix stupid, but, darnit, we can help nip it where it counts.... Or not.

[JeniL]

and MUSD wonders WHY SO many Charter Schools are Full.  Case and Point

[Sam]

Whether it's beneficial or not, I really think they picked the worst possible time to start it.

[eddie]

Full day kinder was absolutely the best thing that could have happened to my son.  He was very unimpressed with preschool.  He asked every day if he had to go, and didn't have fun while he was there.  My 4 year old didn't like school, I thought we were in trouble when he was going to have to go all day, every day.  I was very wrong, he thrives on the full day format.  He looks forward to school every day, and has even said he wished he could stay at school later in the day.

School is so much more than free babysitting.  My kindergartener can read and comprehend books, he can do addition and subtraction, he understands the concept of greater than and less than, he can count by 2s, 5s, and 10s, he understands cooperation and taking turns, he's learned how to be supportive and complementary to his fellow students...I could go on.  Kindergarten is not just about letters and colors anymore, and the concepts he's learning are preparing him for the higher grades.

In 2014, students will be held back in third grade if they don't pass the standardized tests.  If you are curious about what 3rd graders need to know, go to this website and take the sample test.

https://www.ideal.azed.gov/p/content/public_page/AIMS_Resources

If we want our kids to do well, they need as much school time as possible!

[Tigg]

Half day "school" is more like day care.  It takes a full day to make it school.  The first 5 years are the most important for kids development and learning - kindergarten is the tail end of that valuable span and for many kids, it is the first time they step foot in a classroom.  Half day kindergarten short changes kids in one of their most important years of school.